# Lost fairy tale/fable **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543 "2012-05-30T14:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CLW1865](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CLW1865](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLW1865)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/1 "2012-05-30T14:08:53Z")
Hi- the story I’m trying to locate has a traveler eating supper with a farm family. Over their table hangs a sword; as they try to eat everyone fusses and worries about what will happen when the sword falls. After listening a bit the traveler jumps up on the table, cuts down the sword and goes back to eating. Sound familiar? I read it as a kid- 40+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/2 "2012-05-30T14:21:21Z")
Not reallly sure but it sounds a lot like a version of the [Sword of Damocles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles). ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/3 "2012-05-30T14:35:06Z")
This is one of the stories in an English folk tale called “[The Three Sillies](http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/eft/eft03.htm).” In this retelling, the sword is a mallet. ---
**Author:** ![CLW1865](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CLW1865](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLW1865)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/4 "2012-05-30T15:59:22Z")
Yep, that it. As I read it the story came back- I’ll have to order a copy of English Fairy Tales for my library. It’s sort of a cross between the sword of Damoclese and the Gorgons knot- as an engineer I’ve always kept it in the back of my head when looking for solutions to a problem; it’s easy to accept the status quo as a fixed thing. Thanks for your help! ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/5 "2012-05-30T16:18:07Z")
> [@CLW1865](#): > > It’s sort of a cross between the sword of Damoclese and the Gorgons knot ? [Gordian knot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot)? The [Gorgons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgon) had snakes for hair and other personal appearance issues, but I never heard of their being associated with any particular knot. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/6 "2012-05-30T16:32:04Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > ? [Gordian knot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot)? The [Gorgons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgon) had snakes for hair and other personal appearance issues, but I never heard of their being associated with any particular knot. You should see the way snakes get tangled up. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/7 "2012-05-30T17:09:23Z")
No problem. I had a picture book of this story growing up, and it’s always stayed with me. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-fairy-tale-fable/623543/8 "2012-05-30T17:17:13Z")
**CalMeacham** will probably be in with more details, but the original classical gorgons did _not_ have snakes for hair: At most, they had snakes in or around their hair, but the hair itself was normal.